b'NEWSFRONT Inquiries to: 859/276-6726E-Mail: News@TheHorse.comERICA LARSON, News Editor@TH_EricaLarsonTopical Atropine Not Likely Give Horses Their SpaceLinked to Colic DevelopmentIf your horse has suffered an eye injury, During Turnout your veterinarian might have prescribed, among other medications, atropine oint-ment or drops. This medication helps relieve pain associated with ocular inflammation by I f your horse comes in covered in bite marks, you mightpromoting pupil dilation.be wondering how to keep him out of harms way. HeresInflammation in the eye, particularly long-some good news: Researchers in Poland have confirmedterm inflammation, can become very serious and threaten that larger paddocks lead to fewer negative social interactionsthe health and (threats of aggression, kicks, etc.) among horses. But the de- visual capabili-crease in unfavorable actions went hand-in-hand with a reduc- ties of the eye, said Heather tion in positive ones, such as mutual grooming and playing. Chandler, PhD, an associate ANNE M. EBERHARDT/THE HORSEKatarzyna Majecka, PhD, of thehorses if paddocks are small? professor at University of Ldz, said while studyIn my opinion the worst thingThe Ohio State horses had fewer friendly interac- to do is deny horses access to anyUniversity tions after moving from a small pad- kind of paddock at all, Majecka(OSU) College of Optometry, dock to a larger pasture, they clearlysaid. A lot has been written aboutin Columbus. benefited from fewer negativethe advantages of being outdoorsPrior to joining interactions. For instance, she said,for domestic horses, such as betterthe optometry larger fields allow submissive horsesdigestionand mental equilibrium.faculty in 2007 Chandler was a post-doctoral to avoid aggressive ones, which canLikewise, horses are herd animals,scholar at the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Minimizing ocular inflammation prevent injuries. and its important to provide themand pain can improve both the comfort and In their study, Majecka andsocial interactions. prognosis of the eye.Aneta Klawe, MSc, observed ridingOn the other hand, it is notHowever, oral atropine has been associ-school horses in two turnout areas:possible to decisively conclude thatated with slowed equine gastrointestinal a square drylot with a surface areaa small shared paddock is bettermovement and an increased colic risk. Some veterinarians and researchers have expressed of about 150 to 180 square metersthan no paddock at all, or a smallconcern that the topical ocular solution might (about 1,600 to 1,950 square feet)shared paddock than an individualalso cause changes to the horses digestive per horse and a larger, irregularlypaddock, she added. It dependssystem. Still, no published data objectively shaped grass pasture that offeredon different circumstances, suchindicated that ocular atropine could decrease about 3,000 square meters (aboutas the age of the horses and theirgastrointestinal motility.Chandler and colleagues recently explored 32,300 square feet) per horse.temperament. Individual characterthe potential connection between topical While the study confirms what(level of aggression, etc.) and theatropine use and gut motility. The research-many horse managers have knownspecific relationships between giveners randomly assigned six healthy geldings for yearsits typically better to giveindividuals have to be taken intoto one of two groups and administered a horses more spaceit begs the ques- consideration.topical treatment to the left eye (either 1% atropine or artificial tears) and left the right tion about what to do when largeGet more study findings ateye untreated. For the first day the researchers paddocks arent available. ShouldTheHorse.com/40093. treated horses every six hours, then reduced horses be denied turnout with otherChrista Lest-Lasserre, MA treatment to every 12 hours for four more days. After a four-week washout period, the horses received the opposite treatment in the left eye; the right eye went untreated.Following topical application of atropine to the eye, we did not detect any clinical signs of colic or disruption to gastrointestinal motility, Chandler said. Additionally, no systemic at-ropine was detected in the horses, indicating that at the doses used, systemic side effects from the topical drug are likely to be minimal.She cautioned the importance of consider-ing that the study conclusions were made in regard to normal, healthy horses: The findings Horses exhibited fewer negative social interactions whencannot be directly applied to horses with ISTOCK.COMturned out in large pastures than in small paddocks. ocular disease, she said.Learn more at TheHorse.com/40133.Katie Navarra10 TheHorse.comTHE HORSE March 2018'